Employee or entrepreneur, making use of your time in the most efficient and effective manner just makes sense. If you’re looking for time-saving success tips for 2018, look first to the way in which you perform your tasks. If you’re looking for a way to get more productive (so you have more time for your leisure activties and family) or if you want to be more organized in the new year, here are my top success tips:

Time-Saving Success Tips For 2018

Clean out your email inbox. Many people I’ve spoken with will take the drastic measure to simply empty the inbox and start from scratch. They feel that if the messages had gone unread for weeks or months, then they likely can be discarded. They also feel that if something is important, the individual will reach back out to them. Whether you take such a drastic measure to get your inbox back to zero is a highly personal choice. What I like to do is choose a “set point” for my emails. For example I will say “as of January 1, 2018” my inbox is at zero and I will work to keep it at zero at the end of each day. Set aside a chunk of time, daily and address all of the emails. If you “touch it” you need to act upon it. If it helps, move all of the previously unread and unacted upon messages into a folder and chip away at them during the new year.

What can you delegate? How many items are on your to-do list that you could delegate to someone else? If you’re not certain whether it’s “worth it,” calculate your hourly rate and determine how long it takes you to do a specific task that doesn’t require your input and then see if you would be better off delegating. Choose tasks that may not be as complicated as they appeared at first blush — delegate it. What tasks need to be done, but aren’t making you any money? Delegate those.

Just say “no…” and “yes.” There is power in “yes and no” you just know how to wield the power to your best interest. When you’re asked to take on a new task or project or to become a volunteer, ask yourself if this will enhance your life or your career — if it will then give an enthusiastic “yes,” if it won’t or if it will cause you undue stress then say, “thanks but no thanks.” If you’re uncertain as to what your answer should be, don’t be pressured into making a snap decision, simply say, “I might be interested, let me give it some thought.” Then go back to your office and weigh the pros and cons.

Here’s wishing you a happy, prosperous and more efficient and effective 2018! Take charge of your success; as an employee you need to be a valuable part of the team without taking on so much that you burn out.

In the midst of the holiday rush it is easy to stay focsed and energized, but once the holidays are over and the relatives have gone and you’re back to work it might be hard to stay that way — especially if you live in an area of the country that is blanketed with snow, ice and seemingly endless gray days. I live in Arizona where we are blessed with almost year round sunshine and it is easy to feel the sun on your face and get out and get moving; other areas of the country aren’t so blessed — or sunny.

It is natural to feel a bit deflated after the holiday hustle and bustle is over and that week between Christmas and New Years allowed you to coast. Now, though you’re looking at the new year and limited sunlight. It is easy to get in the doldrums. What can you do?

Stay Focused And Energized

Be realistic. Many people look at January 1 as the time they HAVE to set goals, make resolutions and essentially start over.

Be physically active. Simply getting up from your desk and moving around is better than sitting all day. Standing at your desk is better than sitting. Be healthy. Eat healthy foods and kick processed foods to the curb. Do short bursts of exercise in your office. Take the stairs. Take a parking space that isn’t right by the doro. Eat fruits and vegetables more frequently and consume fewer salty or sugary snacks. When it comes to resolving to be more healthy, think about where you live. If you are “resolving to” walk 10,000 steps a day and you live where it’s sub zero temperatures, unless you commit to going to a gym or buying home workout equipment you are likely setting yourself up for failure. Choose a goal that coincides with the weather. Although if you are committed and want to make the most of the season you’re in, dress warmly, invest in snow shoes and have at it! Set detailed and above all, realistic goals and you will have a fighting chance of sticking with them. Did you know, most people break their resolutions before January is even over?

Be mindful. Take a deep breath. Focus on relaxing your shoulders – I’ll bet they are up around your ears as you’re reading this. I am an advocate of self-care. There are several times throughout the workday when I walk away from my desk and find a quiet spot to sit and breathe. I focus my energies inward. I get more done when I take breaks because I find that getting away from my desk and focusing on my breath and my health makes me more energized and invigorated to work with my clients.

Are you making resolutions this year? Are they realistic? Have you set measurable resolutions? For example, rather than saying you want to “lose weight” or “exercise more” you should quantify that with “lose 10 pounds by April” or “walk 5,000 steps per day” you can’t celebrate what you don’t measure! Let us know what your resolutions are if you need help staying accountable to them and to yourself.

Is it time to rest on your laurels if you’ve met your business goals. It is also not the time of year to throw up your hands, give up and think that you can just try to “do better” next year. There are some things that entrpreneurs can do to give their business an end of the year revenue boost. Some of them may not be able to be put into practice before year’s end, but others can.

End Of The Year Revenue Boost

Do you have unused office space? Consider renting out a room in your office. If you have extra office space or a conference room that is only used occasionally, consider a co-working option and rent the room by the hour or day to another entrepreneur who doesn’t need a full time office space but wants a place to meet clients on occasion.

What expenses can you cut? Look at the subscriptions and programs that you pay for and make note of any that are duplicates. Is there one service that can perform the task another is? Stop paying for one and combine what you need to get done with one subscription. Also, are you paying for phone lines or email addresses or other “invisible” costs about which you are unaware until the bill comes.

This is the time of year to focus on the upsell. “If you buy three months I’ll give you the fourth for free” or “if you invest in this product we can bundle it with these other products and you will save.” What makes sense as an upsell for your business. Offer an end of the year upsell campaign to kick off the new year with revenue streams.

Is it time to up your prices before the new year? If you have clients who have been with you, offer them the services at their same rate IF they re-up with you before the end of the year. If they don’t opt to do that, then let them know how much they can save if they make the commitment now.

Ask current clients for referrals. If they offer you a referral who signs on with you, give the referring client a bonus — one free month of the service they are currently receiving, for example.

If you’re using ads, make certain you have a strategy for the ad spend. Don’t just run an ad “because everyone else is.” If you don’t have a strategy behind the spend, you are throwing your money away.

What have you done in the past to amp up your earnings at the end of the year?

Is there a magic bullet to making sales? Are there some secrets that the top sellers are in the know about that you aren’t? I don’t think there is a magic formula, but I do have 5 sales strategies that work — as long as you work them. Because times have changed, the way in which we make sales and interact with potential customers has had to morph and evolve as well.

5 Sales Strategies That Work

Treat your customers as you’d like to be treated. Sounds simple, but with today’s high tech world, we sometimes forget the high touch methods of making sales still work best. Make a connection and be the person that is the go-to for your potential customer.

Remember, it is about how your product can take away their pain points. It is not about how great your product or service is, even though it is great, i am sure. When you’re working with a new customer make sure you really listen to them and that you show how you can ease their pain with your product.

Know your customer’s comfort level. If they are a start up they won’t likely be spending $50,000 on a coaching program or on a product that might break the bank. Know your customer. Know what they have to spend and offer them a product or service that fits their needs. You don’t need to oversell your products or services to them. if they like what you do, they will eventually ask for more.

Keep it simple. Rather than putting together a high tech slide show or powerpoint presentation, sit down over a cup of coffee and have a conversation. Get to know them, speak their language. Speaking of language, don’t speak in acronyms — it doesn’t impress.

Follow up and follow through. If you promised to deliver something, make sure you do. Don’t drop the ball right after your initial meeting. Your initial meeting and your initial follow through is what will set the tone for the rest of your relationship.

Are you focusing on the client and his or her needs when you’re making a presentation? If you’re not, or if you’re not sure, talk wtih a trusted colleague and ask them to listen to your presentation. Adjust accordingly.